Marvel's comics legend Stan Lee dies at 95

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Legendary comic book writer Stan Lee has died at the age of 95, his family's attorney announced on Monday.

Creator and co-creator of iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Mighty Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther, X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil and Ant-Man, Lee's beloved characters and storylines transformed the entertainment landscape around the world.

As the top writer at Marvel Comics and later as its publisher, Lee was widely considered the architect of the contemporary comic book. He revived the industry in the 1960s by offering the costumes and action craved by younger readers while insisting on sophisticated plots, college-level dialogue, satire, science fiction, even philosophy.

Stan Lee's storied life

Lee was born as Stanley Martin Lieber in New York on December 28, 1922, the son of Jewish immigrants from Romania. At age 17, he became an errand boy at Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel. He got the job with help from an inside connection, his uncle, according to Lee's autobiography “Excelsior!”

Lee soon earned writing duties and promotions. He penned Western stories and romances, as well as superhero tales, and often wrote standing on the porch of the Long Island, New York, home he shared with his wife, actress Joan Lee, whom he married in 1947. She died in 2017.

Comic book creator and executive producer Stan Lee (L) poses alongside cast member Scarlett Johansson (R) at the world premiere of the film "Marvel's The Avengers" in Hollywood, California, April 11, 2012. /VCG Photo

In 1941, the third installment of Stan Lee's first book, "Captain America," was released. By 1972, he was the publisher and chairman of Marvel comics.

1961 was a magical year when Stan Lee teamed up with his comic book partner Jack Kirby to create a superhero team – "Fantastic Four."

Then, he worked with cartoonists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to create such comic book characters including web-slinging teenager Spider-Man, the muscle-bound Hulk, mutant outsiders the X-Men, the close-knit Fantastic Four, and the playboy-inventor Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man.

The existence of Stan Lee has led to the rise of Marvel, and by various famous icons with intellectual property (IP), it has swept across the film and television industry, gaining an equal position with DC Comics.

Lee considered the comic-book medium an art form, and he was prolific: By some accounts, he came up with a new comic book every day for ten years. "I wrote so many I don't even know. I wrote either hundreds or thousands of them," he told The Associated Press in 2006.

Stan Lee had help in designing the superheroes, but he took full ownership of promoting them, according to the Reuters report on Tuesday.

Dozens of Marvel Comics movies, with nearly all the major characters Lee created, were produced in the first decades of the 21st century, grossing more than 20 billion US dollars at theaters worldwide, according to box office analysts. The website Box Office Mojo said, "Black Panther" had a worldwide gross of 1.34 billion US dollars.

However, Lee, as a hired hand at Marvel, received the limited payback on the windfall from his characters.

Stan Lee on the premiere of "Iron Man 3." /VCG Photo

After the death of his wife of 69 years, this superhero creator sued Pow! Entertainment, the company he founded and be bought for one billion US dollars in 2017, only to withdraw his lawsuit a few weeks later.

Later, Stan Lee was involved in a case of elder abuse in June 2018, and court documents show he may have suffered abuse from his daughter and caregiver. And events such as property disputes have been entangled in his old life.

"His greatest legacy will be not only the co-creation of his characters but the way he helped to build the culture that comics have become, which is a pretty significant one," said Robert Thompson, a pop culture expert at Syracuse University.

Despite the controversy over Stan Lee's personal life and his relationship with Marvel, it doesn't stop him from becoming a remarkable marvel icon.

Excelsior!

"Excelsior" is the Latin word that Stan Lee likes to add at the end of the text when he is an editor, representing "transcendence and stronger," and he did it indeed.

Many celebrities offer their thanks, remembrances, and condolences to him, such as cast members in the Marvel film, including Chris Evans, Hugh Jackman, Robert Downey Jr. and Josh Brolin, offered their condolences in the death of Marvel legend Stan Lee.

A still from "Avengers: Infinity War." /VCG Photo

"Captain America" actor Chris Evans mourned the loss on Twitter: "There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship, and joy. He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives. Excelsior!!"

"I owe it all to you... Rest In Peace Stan... #MCU #Excelsior #legend #rip #stanlee #TeamStark," also, "Iron Man" actor Robert Downey Jr. send his mourning via Instagram.

The "bonus scene" of Marvel

Along with the release of the movie “Venom” in China, the news is undoubtedly a huge blow to China's Marvel fans. For years, finding Stan Lee in movies seemed to be a habit for all Marvel fans.

Some netizens said it is a "black November" for Chinese, the fans of Wuxia lost Jin Yong at the end of October, and Marvel's fans maybe will never find their "bonus scene" after Lee's dead, although Lee already finished his performance of "Avengers 4," Screencrush.com said on Monday.

"Hope the ‘Doctor Strange' can turn back the clock," a Chinese media account posted on his article.

"Marvel heroes gave me all the courage to face a bad world," the writer added.

Sina entertainment posted Stan Lee's news on Tuesday on the Weibo account, and fans offer their thanks and condolences for Stan Lee.

“The end of an era, also the beginning of a new era, but I'm so lucky since I went through the best of times,” said @XiaobingWB in comments.

"Recognize him in the 'Venom.' Rest In Peace; maybe it means heaven needs superheroes," @Redscarf comments.

It's hard to count precisely how many Marvel characters Stan Lee has guest-starred in, but as long as it's a Marvel movie, fans will regard finding Stan Lee as a significant "bonus scene."

A fan leaves tributes on Stan Lee's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame shortly after the news that the Marvel founder died aged 95 was made public, in Hollywood, California, November 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Some of Lee's creations became symbols of social change – the inner turmoil of Spider-Man represented 1960s America, for example, while the Black Panther and the Savage She-Hulk mirrored the travails of minorities and women.

“I think of them as fairy tales for grown-ups,” he told the Associated Press in 2006. “We all grew up with giants and ogres and witches. Well, you get a little bit older, and you're too old to read fairytales. But I don't think you ever outgrow your love for that kind of things, things that are bigger than life and magical and very imaginative.”

Stan Lee started from comics, revitalized Marvel with creative talent and extraordinary business acumen, although, he was swept up in scandal in his later years. However, he gave fans a better, magical world.

(With inputs from AP, Reuters)